Door-operators



INVENTOR F. A. PURDY April 26, 1966 DOOR-OPERATORS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

Filed June 15, 1962 F. A. PURDY DOOR-OPERATORS April 26, 1966 4Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 15, 1962 INVENTOR F. A. PURDY DOOR-OPERATORSApril 2 6, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 15, 1962 INVENTOR 4Sheets-Sheet 4 F. A. PURDY DOOR-OPERATORS IIIIII April 26, 1966 FiledJune 15, 1962 United States Patent 3,248,630 DOOR-OPERATORS Frederick A.Purdy, Scarsdale, NY. (870 United Nations Plaza, New York, N.Y.) FiledJune 15, 1962, Ser. No. 202,817 2 Claims. (Cl. 318266) This inventionrelates to door-operators and controls therefor, and has particularreference to devices for opening, closing and controlling the operationof, doors at garages, residential and commercial. This application is acontinuation in part of US. patent application Serial No. 687,509 filedOctober 1, 1957 now Patent No. 3,048,761.

Actuation of a door to open and close by directing light from theheadlamp of an automobile to a light sensitive cell, set in thegarage-structure, requires that the headlamp beam, or the practice ofits application, difier from sunlight which may reach the cell at somegarage exposures, especially towards sunrise or sunset.

I have preferred, for simplicity, to differentiate from sunlight byhaving the door actuated, not when light is applied by the headlamp, butwhen it is extinguished or withdrawn, since applied light may beextinguished at will; the practice being to extinguish or withdraw thelight within about a second or two after application, and pro- 3 148,630 Patented Apr. '26, 1966 the motor and door-drive controls andconnections fully below the level of the track as shown in FIG. 4.Broader utility in a device of this kind is gained if the device may beinstalled under any conditions, whether of low ceiling or limitedside-room between track and wall. Progress in this direction isdisclosed in my patent application Serial No. 669,143, filed July 1,1957, as observed'on the last line of page 1, and the first five linesof page 2.- There -vide that application of light through a longerperiod as I with sunlight will disable the controls as to effectivenessfor door-actuation.

This has been the principle in each of my patent applications:

Serial --No. 526,035, filed August 2, 1955, now US. Patent No.2,876,002.

Serial No. 628,036, filed December 13, 1956, now

Patent No. 2,902,276.

'Serial No. 669,143, filed July 1, 1957, now Patent No. 3,147,001, andin U.S. application filed by John Hofer and myself as co-inventors,Serial No. 705,712, filed December 27, 1957, now abandoned; and itcontinues to be the principle-in this application. But here theinvention disclosed is of extreme simplicity, dependability, and

economy.

It uses a two chambered gravity-timer of the hourglass type, having twochambers interconnected by a neck through which any suitable material,granular or liquid, held in one of the chambers, may be transferred tothe other chamber by gravity in a time period prede' termined by thesize of the orifice through the neck. In

the embodiment here shown, sand will be the material used and referredto for convenience, and the two-chambered gravity-timer may be called asand-timer.

Thetimer is positioned endw-ise from a pivot so that one of thechambers, the inward one, is close to the pivot, and the other, theoutward one, is farther removed from the pivot. The timer, normallyhanging vertically from the pivot, is swung upward, above the'level ofthe pivot, by a solenoid, and thus poised into potential switch-throwingposition, when light is applied at a light sensitive cell held in thedoorway frame. If the light is promptly extinguished or withdrawn, thetimer falls with its weight of sand kept in the outward chamber at highleverage, sufiicient to throw a switch to operate the motor which drivesthe door open or closed. But if there-is a delay, as normally occurswith sunlight, the sand drains by gravity from the outward chamber tothe inward chamber, reducing the leverage so that, when the sunlightpasses,

the switch. Thus sunlight is nullified as to door-operatingeffectiveness. Lightning is too rapid to rock the timer as far as to setup switch-closing momentum on the return swing. v v A further object ofthe invention is the placement of the timer falls without the force ofinertia needed to throw 1 the installation is noted as substantiallybelow tracklevel. But, as observable in FIG. 1 of that application,about half the body of the motor is above the level of the track. Itwill be observed in FIGS. 1 and 2 of that application that the idlerstrand of cable 45 (the strand which connects to turnbuckle 45) liesabove the driver-strand (the strand which is clamped at 34 to thearticulated driving link-age). This arrangement was necessitated by thecondition that plus for door rollers running in the track such as pin18, FIG. 2 of that application, and similar pins following, wouldobstruct a strand of cable put below the track level, colliding withshipper and turnbuckle moving in the reverse of the direction ofdoor-movement and preventing door-operation. And since the upper andlower strands of cable 45 lined up with shaft 33 and the gearhead of themotor, the motor had, perforce, to take its conditions almost as strongas the suns rays from above. ,Thelower visor has the value of reducingsnow-reflections to little more than ambient daylight.

An object of the invention is to provide a control that responds, asherein described for a light-signal, to any other signal, whether radio,electronic, or otherwise.

These and other objects'will appear in the development of thedescription. j

The accompanying drawings show, for purposes of illustration, oneembodiment in which the invention may take form, but the invention is'not limited to this embodiment. Y

FIG. 1 is an elevation-view, toward one jamb of a garage-doorway, of abracket on the doorways inner facing and cable-pulleys on the bracket,also a curved track and ends of vertical and horizontal tracks held bythe bracket;

FIG. 2 is a detailed view, partly in elevation and partly in sectionalong the line 2-2 of FIG. 1; I

FIG. 3 is an elevation or face view of a cabinet con taining motor andcontrols set on the rearward end of the horizontal track, some ,of themotor being cut away;

FIG. 4 is a side view of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary detail elevational view, in the plane of FIGS. 1and 6, of a cylinder imbedded in a doorjamb, housing a light sensitivecell;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view and wiring-diagram; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary diagrammatic view of an alternativetimer-assembly in miniature.

The door 15 is of the conventional overhead type, in several sectionshinged together, of which the upper end of the top section appears inFIG. 1, and in FIG. 2 against trim 11. It is carried by pins from itssectionhinges to rollers that travel in vertical track 16, curved track17, and horizontal overhead track 18, the door moving between verticalclosed position at track 16, and

(FIGS. 3 and 4) supports the remote or rearwapdend of track 18 from theceiling. The door is counterbalanced by a spring 14 in the'usual way,connected to a cable that runs to the door over pulley 13, FIG. 1. i

The door-drive is efiected by a reversible gear-head motor 20, FIG. 3,set in a cabinet 25 which is mounted by bracket 26 from the rearward endof track 18; the shaft 21 of which motor carries a double-disccable-grip sheave 22 driving a cable 23, which cable extends inendless-belt fashion between grip sheave 22 and a pulley 30 on bracket10, and has attached to it an articulated linkage 27 that runs withintracks 17 and 18 and connects to the door, as shown and described indetail in my application Serial No. 669,143, filed July 1, 1957.

The characteristic that distinguishes the arrangement in thisapplication from that in Serial No. 669,143 is that pulley 30 is set atan angle to carry cable 23 down under the horizontal arm of bracket andout to the side of bracket 10 and of track 18 that is away from, andclear of interference with, the several support-pins which extend fromsection-hinges to track-rollers, such as pin 29 in FIGS. 1 and 2. Asappearing in FIG. 2, pulley 31) is held to bracket 10, at an angle of 45out of vertical or horizontal, by a positioner 31 of for-med sheet-metalwhich is hung in a slot 10' punched in bracket 10, through two flangesof which positioner 31 a pivot-bolt 32 passes, this bolt beingshouldered to seize positioner 31 without binding pulley 30, directionedby a 45 tapered washer 33, and tightened and locked by respective nuts34 and 34. Pulley 30 appears in FIG. 2 in position relative to across-section of track 18, receiving in the upward level of its groovethat strand of cable 23 which is the drivestrand 23', and carrying cable23 down below the level of track 718 and out under the horizontal arm ofbracket 10 to the side of track 18 that is clear of roller-pininterference, such as by pin 29 in FIG. 2; the idler strand 23" of cable23 running thence rearward into cabinet 25 and around grip-sheave 22,returning thence forward as the upper strand, drive strand 23, clampedat 28 to the articulated linkage 27. The upper strand of cable .23,where clamped at 28, FIG. 1, is on a level higher than the level of thetop of grip-sheave 22 in FIG. 3 about seven feet away. Accordingly, asclamp 28 moves toward cabinet 25, cable 23 assumes a slant somewhat moresteep than appears in the gradual slant of FIG. 3. The entry intocabinet 25 of the cable, and of shipper 4-1 on the cable, is providedfor by a vertical slot punched in the cabinet wall. Cables and shippersmay enter the cabinet through hole 25' and slot 25" indicated in thecabinet wall leftward of FIG. 3.

Within the cabinet are two switchers 35 and 36-, one each side of gripsheave as seen in FIG. 3, pivoted on threads of respective studs 37 and37 locked on back wall of cabinet. A button or shipper 40 on the lowerstrand 23 of cable 23 is in position as when door is fully closed, andin this position has thrown the lower end of switcher 35 againstgrip-sheave 22 and, in the throw, has thrown a reversing switch andopened a power switch. Another shipper button 41 on strand 23, FIG. 1,throws top end of switcher 35 against grip-sheave when door reachesfully opened position.

Switchers 35 and 36 are interconnected by link '39 upon which atwo-fingered shifter 38 is riveted for throwing handle 46 of reversingswitch 45 leftward as the door reaches closed position and rightward asthe door reaches open posit-ion, thus conditioning the circuit to motorfor a direction of drive when motor is next energized that will be theopposite of the doors direction at the end of which the switch throw iseffected.

The interconnection of switchers 35 and 36 makes unnecessary anyrelocating of parts to install on track at the opposite side of thegarage.

Among these parts are the motors field-leads (FIG. 6) which, forestablishing a direction of motor-rotation when the door-operator isbeing installed, have (in earlier practice) needed to be interchanged bythe installing man according to whether he is mounting the door-drive atthe right-hand track or at the left-hand track (depending upon availablespace and other conditions). The changes in direction of flow ofcurrent, obtained by interchanging the motors field-leads, are explainedin my Patent No. 2,758,836 issued August 14, 1956, column 4, lines 72 to75 inclusive, and column 5, lines 1 to 30 inclusive, and are shown inwiring-diagram FIG. 23 of that patent.

Now with the adoption of two switchers 35 and 36 opposite each other,interconnected by link 39 (FIG. 3), it is not necessary for theinstalling man, who may be an untrained do-it-yourself home-owner, togive attention to relocating the positions of the motors field-leads.Once the direction of motor-rotation is set at the factory for correctoperation of the door, it need not be changed whether the right-handtrack or the left-hand track is chosen for mounting the door-drive.

Viewing the motor as in FIG. 3, the mounting may be called a right-handinstallation. Both strands of cable 23 extend rightward of FIG. 3 to thedoor at the right.

The door connection is on the cables drive-strand 23'.

To open the door, strand 23' would drive leftward of FIG. 3, and thedriving sheave 22 would turn counterclockwise of FIG. 3. That is, theposition for the next door movement, made effective by shipper-button 40on idler-strand 23" having thrown switcher 35 and switcher 36 with it atthe termination of the closing movement of the door.

If one were to chose a left-hand installation, the door being at theleft of FIG. 3, both strands of cable would extend leftward from sheave22. The positions of switchers 35 and 36 as seen in FIG. 3 would be thatfor an open door, and shipper 41 on the upper strand 23' would have putthe switchers into this position. The next movement of the door would beto close, the upper strand of cable to move leftward and the directionof sheave rotation to be counterclockwise. Thus it is seen that to closethe door from the position of switchers 35 and 36 in FIG. 3 at aleft-hand installation and to open the door from the same position ofswitchers at a righthand installation, requires a counterclockwiserotation of motor 20 and sheave 22. In either case the door movementcorrectly obeys the rotation. Similarly a reversed positioning ofswitchers 35 and 36 whether effected by button 41 moving from the rightor by button 40 moving from the left, would set switch 45 to produce forthe next door movement a clockwise rotation in motor 20 and sheave 22.That is, what would be needed to move a closed door open at a left-handinstallation or an open door closed at right-hand installation. Whetherthe installation is right-hand or left-hand the door correctly obeys thedirection of motor rotation. No relocating of motors field-leads isentailed upon the installing man.

The light sensitive cell 60, of FIGS. 5 and 6, is held in the door jamb11 on one side or other of doorway, as shown in all of my patentapplications referred to on the first page of this application, inposition conveniently for reception of a light beam 61, FIG. 6, as fromthe headlamp of an automobile.

The cell may be any suitable device which, when lighted, provides forflow of electric current to relay 65 or to solenoid 59, and when dark,reduces or terminates such flow. It may be a crystal, such as shown byJohn Hofer in application Serial No. 473,572, filed December 7, 1954, orit may be a self-generating or voltaic cell, having a light sensitivematerial bonded to a metal disc, which generates electric current whenlighted, or it may be a junction-type semiconductor, such as shown by I.N. Shive in Patent 2,641,713 issued June 9, 1953, or it may be any otherdevice adaptable for the purpose.

Re FIGS. 5 and 6: the cell 60 is held by a disc 63, FIG. 5, which ispress fitted into cylinder 62. behind a day-light filter 64 also held bypress fit. Cylinder 62, imbedded in a bore in door-jamb 11, has, at itsend which faces toward the automobile headlamp, upper and lower visorsintegral, 62' and 62" respectively, the upper visor for interceptinglight rays from above, and the lower visor for intercepting light raysfrom snow-reflections of bright sunlight.

A sand-timer 50 of glass, in two opposite chambers connected by a neck,containing suitable sand in quantity to fill one of the chambers, issupported by a channelformed cradle 51 pivoted on threadsof stud 52locked to rear wall of cabinet. The glass has around it a first, orinner, wrap of elastic adhesive tape 53, FIG. 3, by which it makes aresilient fit between the flanges of cradle 51; timer and cradletogether have a second, or outer, wrap of tape 54.

A power switch 55 closed by a button 55', is held by bracket 56 pivotedto back Wall of cabinet, and positioned so that cradle 51 when swungleftward in FIG. 3 may depress the button to close the switch.

A latch 47, biased downward by spring 48, to engage the upper end ofcradle 51 and hold the switch closed, is pivoted on the threads of stud49 locked to rear wall of cabinet. This latch is punched with arectangular hole 47' into which a prong 44 communicates, which prong isheld by a press fit through both flanges of switcher 35. The prongswings with the switcher through an arc, to lift latch 47, and thusrelease cradle 51, and timer 50, to move rightward by gravity to treebutton 55' and to open the circuit of power to the motor, wheneverswitcher 35 is thrown in either direction by respective shipper 40 or 41whenever the door reaches a short distance short of open position orshort of closed position respectively.

A pull-rod 57 engaged in the top extremity of cradle 51 connects toplunger 58 of solenoid 59, so that a pull inward by the plunger swingscradle and timer to the upward position 50' indicated in broken lines ofFIG. 3. As in FIG. 6, schematic and wiring diagram, two wires 66 and 67,bonded into the cell 60, conduct current from or through the cell, thewire 67 conducting to the energizing coil of relay 65. If house currentis used for the cell, the direct current output of rectifier 68,smoothed by resistor 69, protects the cell. Push button 70 may be usedto shunt between conductors 66 and 67 to energize relay 65 and solenoid59. Or a push button 71 may be mounted on the under wall of cabinet 25,or any counterpart of its may be located anywhere, to energize solenoid59 directly. A master switch or night-lock 72 may be mounted on cabinet25, or in any convenient location.

In FIG. 7, a two-chambered gravity timer80 is outlined as contemplatedin a diminutive size which may be associated directly with a relay, orwith a miniature solenoid, to eliminate one or other of these magnets.The one magnet 85 may be supported to cabinet wall, as also may be themotor circuits switch 75, pivot 79 of gravity-biased latch 77, and pivot82 of cradle 81 which carries timer 80, carries a bar 84 to be attractedby the magnet, and has a tip 81' to be engaged by latch 77, anddisengaged by horn 44 already described. Button 75' is spring biasedwithin the switch body to be pressed outward into the position shown inFIG. 7.

The drainable material within the two-chambered gravity-timer may bemercury, to afford an optimum weight, when elevated as stored energy, inproportion to the weight of non-drainable parts. If the magnet 85 wereof the character of a solenoid, its plunger would be attached pivotallyto cradle 81 at 84. The magnet is illustrated as a relay having acontact 85' opposite bar 84.

Upon a light-beam reaching cell 60, FIGS. 5 and 6, as from an automobileheadlamp, current flows from the cell to energize relay 65, which closesa circuit to energize solenoid 59. Energization of the solenoid elevatesthe timer, to position 50' to store potential switch-closing energy inthe form of sand in the outer chamber. If the light beam or push-buttonis promptly withdrawn,

6 de-energizing the solenoid, the stored energy brings the timerdownward under gravity with a force of inertia suflicient to close theswitch, and the circuit to the motor, and thus to actuate the door toopen or close.

If a light beam from the sun reaching the cell 60 should elevate thetimer, it would hold the timer upward as long as the lightshould besustained. The orifice in the neck of the timer is such that the sandflows from one chamber to the other in a period of 5 to 10 seconds, and,as the timer is held elevated, the sand drains off from the outerchamber to the inner one, to reach a level about that indicated at 50"in FIG. 3. The stored potential energy at optimum leverage thus isdrained to a lower leverage, and, upon the sunbeam having passed and thesolenoid having been de-energized, the timer drops, counterbalanced bythe plunger of the solenoid, and without a force of inertia or amomentum sufficient to close switch 55, or to actuate the door. Thus alight beam from the sun is nullified as a door actuating agent,withdrawal of light being delayed beyond a predetermined time periodsuch as needed for withdrawal or extinguishment of light convenientlyafter application of it.

The diminutive design of FIG. 7 becomes more and more practical as theart advances in light-sensitive cells so that more and more current ismade to flow from or through the cell. Within three years past, theeffective current through the cadmium sulphide crystal has more thandoubled. Electric switches carrying amperage for motors of adequate sizeto drive doors, have been developed in which operating pressure is afraction of an ounce, as in coin operated machines.

The parts in FIG. 7 are shown in normal inert positions, cradle 81having been released from latch 77, motor control switch75 being open,and its button 75 having pressed the cradle 81 away to hold cradlereleased. Upon coil of relay 85 being energized from light-sensitivecell 60, relay 85 attracts bar 84 on cradle 81, raising timer to itsposition 80'. Prompt de-energization of magnet permits fall of timer todepress button 75', close switch 75, energize motor, and hold button bylatching with 77 while the motor drives the door. Towards thetermination of door movement, horn 44, communicating into hole 77',unlatches cradle 81, allowing switch 75 to open, and stop the motor, asalready described in the case of latch 47. The same effect follows inthe event of delay in withdrawal of light, as by sunlight, as alreadydescribed for timer 50, the mercury draining from the outerchamber oftimer 80 so that upon the withdrawal of light, the timer falls withoutthe leverage and without the force of inertia that would close switchThe terms and expressions which have been employed nized that variousmodifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A door-operator comprising, a door, a motor for driving said doorinto opened and closed positions, power means connected to said motor, apower switch intermediate said power means and said motor, a reversingswitch in said power means for delivering power to said motor to drivesaid motor in a first direction to open said door and in a seconddirection to close said door, means connecting said motor to said door,and means on said connecting means for controlling said reversing switchto position said'reversing switch in a first position to drive saidmotor in said first direction to open said door and to a second positionto drive said motor in said second direction to close said door, saidmeans on said connecting means including means for holding said powerswitch in closed position and maintaining said power means connected tosaid motor while said motor is driving said door and for releasing saidpower switch and disconnecting said power means from said motor as saidconnecting means repositions said reversing switch.

2. A door-operator comprising, a door, a motor for driving said doorinto opened and closed positions, power means connected to said motor, apower switch intermediate said power means and said motor, a reversingswitch in said power means for delivering power to said motor to drivesaid motor in a first direction to open said door and in a seconddirection to close said door, means connecting said motor to said door,control means for controlling said reversing switch having a first sideand a second side, means on said connecting means for engagement withsaid control means, said means on said connecting means, when inengagement with said control means, alternately moving said controlmeans from a first point to a second point for engaging said first sideof said control means with said reversing switch and positioning saidreversing switch in a first position to drive said motor in said firstdirection to open said door, and from said second point to said firstpoint for engaging said second side of said control means with saidreversing switch and positioning said reversing switch in a secondposition to drive said motor in said second direction to close saiddoor, and means on said control means for engagement with said powerswitch to hold said power switch in closed position and maintain saidpower means connected to said motor as said control means is moved fromsaid first position to said second position and from said secondposition to said first position, said means on said control meansincluding means for releasing said power switch to disconnect said powermeans and said motor when said control means reaches said first andsecond positions, respectively.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,000,515 5/ 1935Gross.

2,424,385 7/ 1947 Cook 318-266 2,532,722 12/1950 Kaytor 318266 2,752,1506/1956 Richmond et al.

2,882,044 4/1959 Ginte 268- 59 2,909,718 10/1959 Lawick 318266 2,923,5412/1960 Gessell 268-59 3,060,361 10/1962 Purdy 318266 ORIS L. RADER,Primary Examiner.

1. A DOOR-OPERATOR COMPRISING, A DOOR, A MOTOR FOR DRIVING SAID DOOR INTO OPENED AND CLOSED POSITIONS, POWER MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID MOTOR, A POWER SWITCH INTERMEDIATE SAID POWER MEANS AND SAID MOTOR, A REVERSING SWITCH IN SAID POWER MEANS FOR DELIVERING POWER TO SAID MOTOR TO DRIVE SAID MOTOR IN A FIRST DIRECTION TO OPEN SAID DOOR AND IN A SECOND DIRECTION TO CLOSE SAID DOOR, MEANS CONNECTING SAID MOTOR TO SAID DOOR, AND MEANS ON SAID CONNECTING MEANS FOR CONTROLLING SAID REVERSING SWITCH TO POSITION SAID REVERSING SWITCH IN A FIRST POSITION TO DRIVE SAID MOTOR IN SAID FIRST DIRECTION TO OPEN SAID DOOR AND TO A SECOND POSITION TO DRIVE SAID MOTOR IN SAID SECOND DIRECTION TO CLOSE SAID DOOR, SAID MEANS ON SAID CONNECTING MEANS INCLUDING MEANS FOR HOLDING SAID POWER SWITCH IN CLOSED POSITION AND MAINTAINING SAID POWER MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID MOTOR WHILE SAID MOTOR IS DRIVING SAID DOOR AND FOR RELEASING SAID POWER SWITCH AND DISCONNECTING SAID POWER MEANS FROM SAID MOTOR AS SAID CONNECTING MEANS REPOSITIONS SAID REVERSING SWITCH. 